How instant replay will change baseball

Expanded MLB review system wins backers, but more complicated than some expected.

Umpires confer on a call during the 2009 World Series. MLB's instant replay system will change the game dramatically this coming season.

By:Paul WhiteUSA Today, Published on Fri Feb 28 2014

PORT CHARLOTTE, FLA.—The dirt-kicking, cap-flipping, vein-popping argument that has been part of baseball’s fabric for a century and a half is about to give way to a more modern way of deciding who’s right.

Notoriously slow to embrace change, Major League Baseball is unveiling a replay system it says will be the most expansive of any sport’s and perhaps put an end to missed calls by umpires.

The system will cover almost every play except balls and strikes, checked swings, a trapped ball in the infield and the so-called neighbourhood play — when a defensive player turning a double play comes close to second base but perhaps does not actually touch it.

But if it’s about whether the go-ahead run was safe at home plate? Check the replay.

It starts for real March 30 in San Diego, where the Padres will play the Los Angeles Dodgers, but test runs are being conducted throughout spring training, which began this past week.

“When we started this thing, we said, ‘What can be so tough about watching TV?’ ” says ex-player and manager Joe Torre, who is the MLB executive vice president in charge of developing and implementing the system. “It becomes quite complicated.”

Just ask the 30 managers who are facing not only new rules but also new strategy.

Managers are alloted one challenge a game, where they can force the umpire to have a play reviewed at a command centre in New York that is manned by an umpiring crew. If the manager is correct, he gets a second challenge. After the sixth inning, umpires can initiate a review, but only if the potentially aggrieved team has used its challenge.

Before a challenge, though, managers will have to assess whether the call is likely to be overturned — and, in most cases, they’ll have to do so quickly.

Every clubhouse in every major league ballpark will have a mini-command centre in which teams can see the same video feeds. But unless the play in question ends an inning or there is a pitching change, teams will be pressed to make a call — and there’s no tolerance for stalling.

That doesn’t mean managers won’t try. Several have already added a term to baseball lingo: Turning the manager. Pay close attention to where managers stand when they go on the field to talk with umpires and whether they have a view of their coaches in the dugout. As Philadelphia Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg explains, they’ll “kind of work around, get a look at the bench, then make a judgment (based on what the coaches say) whether to challenge or not.”

Teams will be hiring replay specialists — some clubs are considering ex-umpires — or reassigning staff to monitor the clubhouse video and call the dugout with advice. One American League manager, who requested anonymity for competitive reasons, told USA Today he wants an ex-ump even though the team video coordinator, who already handles the equipment players use to analyze their play or to study opponents, might be more tech-savvy.

“My video guy is too much of a fan,” says the manager, who already has begun the interview process. “He’d think we’re getting screwed on every play. I want someone who can interpret the rules and make a calm decision.”

Torre estimates the average challenge and subsequent replay can be done in 60 to 90 seconds because umpires will connect with the New York command centre through a headset behind home plate and be told the decision.

Although everybody acknowledges there will be hiccups, baseball’s step into the 21st century is mostly being lauded. That is except for some baseball purists — and they are of all ages.

“Some of the greatest stories we know and the most heroic tales are when something bad happens,” says Matt Moore, 24, a Tampa Bay Rays pitcher. “Not everything is going to go your way. Stuff happens. I think being able to overcome that adversity is part of the story. . . . Seeing the manager turn his hat around and get nose-to-nose with the umpire is part of it, too. That’s part of our sport.”

Rays manager Joe Maddon went into a recent replay demonstration and briefing that every club has received saying, “Maybe I’m underplaying this, but just tell me how it works.” He came out three hours later gushing about the technology and attention to detail.

“There are things that may have to be addressed as we move it along,” Maddon says, “but they thought about everything — at least it seems that way.”

MLB won’t give a cost estimate for all of the technology and infrastructure, but the biggest expense is making sure all the video feeds are available in the clubhouses and in New York. The room in New York is “a TV lover’s dream,” says Tony Clark, executive director of the players union, which has signed off on the plan. “You have umpires. You have a technician, two monitors and a number of screens around those monitors.”

That’s for each game. Every camera from any entity telecasting the game will be available to everyone, eliminating potential conspiracy theories about a home-team director conveniently not having a particular angle available.

MLB added two umpiring crews for this season because two crews will rotate through the command centre to handle challenges. One ump will be assigned to monitor two games at a time. Nearly all of the 74 umpires have completed their training.

More on thestar.com

We value respectful and thoughtful discussion. Readers are encouraged to flag comments that fail to meet the standards outlined in our
Community Code of Conduct.
For further information, including our legal guidelines, please see our full website
Terms and Conditions.